Lebanon assures Jordan of solidarity after foiled threats to national security

Lebanon assures Jordan of solidarity after foiled threats to national security
Jordan's flag flutters in the ancient Roman city of Jarash, north of Amman. (AFP)
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Updated 16 April 2025

Lebanon assures Jordan of solidarity after foiled threats to national security

Lebanon assures Jordan of solidarity after foiled threats to national security
  • After arrest of 16 suspects ‘planning acts of chaos and sabotage,’ Beirut is ‘fully prepared’ to cooperate by sharing info about 2 who reportedly trained in Lebanon, says PM Nawaf Salam
  • Palestinian Authority condemns the ‘terrorist plots’ and says ‘attempts to target and weaken Jordan are targeting and weakening Palestine’

LONDON: Lebanon’s prime minister expressed solidarity with Jordan following the arrest on Tuesday of several suspects accused of involvement in plots to compromise Jordanian national security.

During a telephone conversation with his counterpart, Jafar Hassan, Nawaf Salam pledged Lebanon's full cooperation in efforts to tackle threats to Jordan’s security and stability.

Earlier, the Jordanian General Intelligence Department arrested 16 people suspected of “planning acts of chaos and sabotage,” the Jordan News Agency reported. Two of the suspects, Abdullah Hisham and Muath Al-Ghanem, were believed to have visited Lebanon to coordinate with a senior leader in the Muslim Brotherhood and receive training, the agency added.

Salam said Lebanese authorities were “fully prepared” to cooperate with their Jordanian counterparts by providing information about individuals suspected of involvement in the plots who received training in Lebanon, the country’s National News Agency reported.

“Lebanon refuses to be a base or a launching pad for any action that would threaten the security of any brotherly or friendly country,” the prime minister added.

In a message posted on social media platform X, Lebanese MP Fouad Makhzoum said the case affects Lebanon’s relations with Arab and other foreign countries, and urged the government to clarify the circumstances surrounding the suspects’ training.

“All solidarity with Jordan in the face of malicious attempts to undermine its stability,” he added.

During a telephone call with Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, Lebanon’s former prime minister, Najib Mikati, similarly expressed his solidarity with Amman.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the “terrorist plots” and said they represented an attempt to undermine national security. The president’s office said “attempts to target and weaken Jordan are targeting and weakening Palestine,” the Palestinian News Agency reported.


Istanbul’s opposition mayor cheered as he enters prison courtroom for diploma case

Istanbul’s opposition mayor cheered as he enters prison courtroom for diploma case
Updated 12 sec ago

Istanbul’s opposition mayor cheered as he enters prison courtroom for diploma case

Istanbul’s opposition mayor cheered as he enters prison courtroom for diploma case
  • The case preceded nationwide protests against the jailing of the popular opposition figure in March when hundreds of thousands took part in Turkiye’s largest demonstrations in more than a decade
ISTANBUL: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu appeared in a prison courtroom Friday over claims he fraudulently obtained his university diploma, marking the first hearing in a case that triggered nationwide protests earlier this year.
Imamoglu was greeted with cheering and applause as he entered the courtroom in Silivri Prison, west of Istanbul, on Friday. His family, senior opposition politicians and former university classmates were present for the hearing, according to media reports.
The prosecution is demanding a prison sentence of between 2½ years and 8¾ years and a political ban for alleged forgery of official documents.
Istanbul University nullified Imamoglu’s diploma in March, citing alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus. In response, students faced down police in support of the mayor.
Imamoglu was arrested the following day on claims of corruption and terror links, which led to hundreds of thousands flooding the streets in Turkiye’s largest protests in more than a decade. He has been behind bars ever since.
Imamoglu is the main political threat to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. He was selected as the presidential candidate for Turkiye’s main opposition CHP party shortly after his arrest. In Turkiye, possessing a degree is a prerequisite to becoming president, making his university diploma essential to his challenge to Erdogan.
Silivri Prison, formally known as Marmara Closed Penal Institution, also holds several members of the CHP who have been detained as part of a widespread crackdown on opponents over the past year.
Alongside the diploma case, Imamoglu faces at least seven other criminal cases that could see him banned from politics.
The CHP says the allegations are part of a government offensive to nullify the opposition and clear the way for another five years in office for Erdogan. The government denies the claims and says Turkiye’s courts are independent.
In a separate case due to be heard Monday, a court is expected to rule on whether to annul the CHP’s 2023 Congress, a decision that could change the party’s leadership and send it into disarray.
Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkiye’s largest city in March 2019. His win was a historic blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.
The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu won by a much greater margin.
The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which the CHP made significant gains against the governing party.

UAE summons Israeli deputy ambassador, condemns attack and aggressive statements against Qatar

UAE summons Israeli deputy ambassador, condemns attack and aggressive statements against Qatar
Updated 21 min 38 sec ago

UAE summons Israeli deputy ambassador, condemns attack and aggressive statements against Qatar

UAE summons Israeli deputy ambassador, condemns attack and aggressive statements against Qatar

DUBAI: Reem bint Ebrahim Al-Hashimy, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, summoned the deputy ambassador of Israel to the UAE, David Ahad Horsandi, on Friday to denounce Israel’s recent attack on Doha and statements made about the Qatari state. 
The Minister conveyed the UAE’s “strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant and cowardly Israeli attack that targeted the sisterly State of Qatar, as well as the aggressive statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
She stressed that the UAE deemed the attack a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, and a serious breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, as well as an irresponsible escalation that threatens regional and international security and stability.
Al-Hashimy affirmed that the security and stability of Qatar was an integral part of the broader well-being of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and that any attack on a Gulf state is an attack on the common Gulf security framework.

 


UN General Assembly to vote on a Hamas–free Palestinian state

UN General Assembly to vote on a Hamas–free Palestinian state
Updated 12 September 2025

UN General Assembly to vote on a Hamas–free Palestinian state

UN General Assembly to vote on a Hamas–free Palestinian state
  • Although Israel has criticized UN bodies for nearly two years over their failure to condemn Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, the declaration, presented by France and , leaves no ambiguity

NEW YORK: The UN General Assembly will vote on Friday whether to back the “New York Declaration,” a resolution which seeks to breathe new life into the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine -- without the involvement of Hamas.

Although Israel has criticized UN bodies for nearly two years over their failure to condemn Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, the declaration, presented by France and , leaves no ambiguity.

Formally called the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the text states “Hamas must free all hostages” and that the UN General Assembly condemns “the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October.

It also calls for “collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the Two-State solution.”

The declaration, which was already endorsed by the Arab League and co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries, also goes further than condemning Hamas, seeking to fully excise them from leadership in Gaza.

“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State,” the declaration states.

The vote precedes an upcoming UN summit co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris on September 22 in New York, in which French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to formally recognize the Palestinian state.

Shield against criticism

“The fact that the General Assembly is finally backing a text that condemns Hamas directly is significant,” even if “Israelis will say it is far too little, far too late,” Richard Gowan, UN Director at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

“Now at least states supporting the Palestinians can rebuff Israeli accusations that they implicitly condone Hamas,” he said, adding that it “offers a shield against Israeli criticism.”

In addition to Macron, several other leaders have announced their intent to formally recognize the Palestinian state during the UN summit.

The gestures are seen as a means of increasing pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza, which was triggered by the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

The New York Declaration includes discussion of a “deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission” to the battered region under the mandate of the UN Security Council, aiming to support the Palestinian civilian population and facilitate security responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority.

Around three-quarters of the 193 UN member states recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed in 1988 by the exiled Palestinian leadership.

However, after two years of war have ravaged the Gaza Strip, in addition to expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the stated desire by Israeli officials to annex the territory, fears have been growing that the existence of an independent Palestinian state will soon become impossible.

“We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, may be prevented from visiting New York for the UN summit after US authorities said they would deny him a visa.

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UAE, French leaders reiterate condemnation of Israeli attack on Qatar territory

UAE, French leaders reiterate condemnation of Israeli attack on Qatar territory
Updated 12 September 2025

UAE, French leaders reiterate condemnation of Israeli attack on Qatar territory

UAE, French leaders reiterate condemnation of Israeli attack on Qatar territory
  • Attack constituted a violation of the Qatar’s sovereignty and a threat to regional security and stability

DUBAI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have reiterated their condemnation of the recent Israeli attack on Qatari territory.

The two leaders, during a phone call, stressed the attack – which targeted Hamas officials – constituted a violation of the Qatar’s sovereignty and a threat to regional security and stability, state news WAM reported.

They also emphasized the importance of intensifying international efforts to advance the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the two-state solution, as the path to achieving lasting stability in the Middle East, the report added.

The two leaders also reaffirmed their rejection of any Israeli attempts to annex the West Bank or parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, or to forcibly displace Palestinians.

They stressed that such actions would undermine regional stability and pose a serious threat to the implementation of the two-state solution in accordance with the principles of international law, WAM reported.

The UAE has earlier “strongly condemned and denounced the hostile statements” made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Qatar.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu urged Qatar to expel Hamas officials or hold them to account, “because if you don’t, we will”.

The UAE’s foreign ministry reiterated that Qatar’s security and stability was an integral part of the security and stability of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, and any aggression against a member-state constituted an attack on the collective Gulf security framework.


‘Have you seen a state attack negotiators like that?’ Qatar PM slams Israeli strike on Doha at UN

‘Have you seen a state attack negotiators like that?’ Qatar PM slams Israeli strike on Doha at UN
Updated 12 September 2025

‘Have you seen a state attack negotiators like that?’ Qatar PM slams Israeli strike on Doha at UN

‘Have you seen a state attack negotiators like that?’ Qatar PM slams Israeli strike on Doha at UN
  • Sheikh Mohammed says Israel’s ‘criminal assault’ sabotages diplomacy
  • Donald Trump believes now is ‘opportunity for peace,’ says US official

NEW YORK: “Have you seen a state attack negotiators like that?” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani asked the UN Security Council on Thursday, following an Israeli airstrike on a diplomatic compound in Doha that killed several people, including a Qatari security officer.

Addressing an emergency meeting convened at the request of Algeria, Somalia and Pakistan, the Qatari prime minister described the Sept. 9 strike as a “criminal assault” and a “clear violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.”

He warned that it threatened to derail ongoing ceasefire negotiations and peace efforts in Gaza.

Israel’s airstrike hit a residential complex in Doha housing members of Hamas’ political bureau and their families. The location, Sheikh Mohammed emphasized, was widely known to diplomats, journalists, and others involved in the mediation process.

The prime minister said the Hamas delegation had been meeting to discuss the latest US ceasefire proposal when the missiles struck at approximately 3:45 p.m. local time.

“This was no accident,” he told council members. “This was a targeted effort to sabotage diplomacy, to perpetuate suffering, and to silence those seeking a way out of the bloodshed.”

Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, delivering a message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, described the Israeli action as “an alarming escalation” and a direct violation of Qatar’s territorial integrity.

“This strike potentially opens a new and perilous chapter in this devastating conflict,” she said. “Any action that undermines mediation weakens confidence in the very mechanisms we rely on to resolve conflicts.”

Tel Aviv took responsibility for the attack, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it “a wholly independent Israeli operation” in response to a deadly Hamas-claimed attack in Jerusalem the day prior.

Hamas confirmed that the son of its chief negotiator, Khalil Al-Hayya, was among those killed, though the senior leadership reportedly survived.

The UK condemned Israel’s airstrikes on Doha as a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, warning they risk further regional escalation and jeopardize ceasefire negotiations.

Ambassador Barbara Woodward praised Qatar’s “resolute commitment” to diplomacy and dialogue, commending the leadership of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in championing peace efforts.

Woodward reiterated that Hamas must release all hostages, agree to a ceasefire, and disarm, but also criticized Israel’s ongoing military operation in Gaza City, stating: “The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong.”

She called for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid and urged Israel to lift all restrictions, reaffirming the UK’s support for a two-state solution as the only path to lasting peace.

The US expressed concern over the incident while reaffirming its commitment to Israel’s security and the removal of Hamas.

Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea conveyed condolences to the family of the Qatari officer killed by Israel, calling Qatar a “sovereign nation bravely taking risks to broker peace.”

Still, she urged council members not to use the attack to “question Israel’s commitment to bringing their hostages home.”

President Donald Trump, who spoke to both Netanyahu and Qatar’s emir after the assault, believes the incident could serve as “an opportunity for peace,” according to Shea.

The US, she said, remains committed to securing a ceasefire, facilitating humanitarian access, and pushing Hamas to disarm and release all hostages.

But Qatar’s prime minister was unequivocal in his condemnation, saying that the strike had “uncovered the true intention of Israel’s extremist leadership,” which he accused of undermining any prospect of peace.

Drawing parallels to the US-Taliban talks hosted in Doha, Sheikh Mohammed said the targeting of Hamas negotiators directly contradicted the norms of conflict mediation.

“The US never once struck the Taliban negotiators in Doha,” he said. “On the contrary, it was through those channels that we ended the longest war in US history. Why is Israel trying to destroy the very possibility of a negotiated peace?”

He added that Qatar remains committed to mediation and humanitarian efforts, having helped secure the release of 148 hostages and facilitate aid corridors into Gaza.

“This attack is not only on Qatar — it is on every country striving for peace,” he said. “The international community is being tested. If the UN remains silent, it legitimizes the law of the jungle.”

DiCarlo said that “durable and just solutions in the Middle East will not emerge from bombs, but from diplomacy.”

Qatar has pledged to continue its efforts in partnership with Egypt and the US to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages. “We call for peace, not war,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“But we will not condone attacks on our sovereignty. We reserve the right to respond within the framework of international law.”

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, addressing Sheikh Mohammed directly, said: “Prime Minister Al-Thani, history will not be kind to accomplices. Either Qatar condemns Hamas, expels Hamas, and brings Hamas to justice. Or Israel will."

“There will be no immunity for terrorists,” he said.

Danon added: “Today, on Sept. 11, the world remembers the brutal and murderous terrorist attack in the US.

“When bin Laden was eliminated in Pakistan, the question asked was not ‘why was a terrorist attacked on foreign soil?’ but ‘why was he given sanctuary in the first place?’

“There was no immunity for bin Laden and there can be no immunity for Hamas.”